Important: This chapter was written for/ donated to the Fandom For Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. For a while I was wondering what to write and what you guys would most like to read, and seeing as Cooper has been one of my most popular characters, I knew I had to include him. This chapter is based quite far into the future. It is a one-off special which I hope you all enjoy.

Disclaimer: 'The Twilight Saga' belongs to all respected owners. This plot and additional characters are my own.

Ages: Edward- 50

Bella - 49

Cooper - 29

Ellie/Marco - 21

Finley - 18.

Bella.

A warm, wet nose brushing it's way over my cheek woke me from my slumber that morning. As I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and the moist feeling from my face, I grinned up at the culprit - our Golden Retriever, Bonnie. Technically she's not allowed on the bed - Edward gets pissed when he finds the sheets covered in dog hair - but with him away on a business trip, the bed felt too big and lonely by myself, and the kids haven't climbed into our bed since they were little. And God knows that that wasn't yesterday.

"Morning Bon," I scratched her neck as she laid her head on my stomach. I was a sucker for my baby girl. I never saw myself as a dog person, hell I never saw myself as an animal person, but that all changed when I met Edward again. The number of times he'd come home from work with a pet of some sort, promise me it was just for the night to keep an eye on them, then three months later they are running rings around everyone. But now that the kids are much older and we are much older that stage of our lives is over. We have Bonnie, we have a tank of tropical fish, and that was fine with me.

Showered, dressed and with fresh coffee down my throat, I took Bonnie out on her morning walk and returned before either of the boys had risen, but with Edward due back in five hours, and the family due in six, they didn't have time to sleep. Momma needed a hand.

Marco's room was like a dark cave - a slither of light seeped through the crack in his curtains and his room smelt strongly of Axe deodorant and unwashed clothing. I was under the impression that he and Finley had stayed up to the early hours playing some sort of video game on their games console, it is no surprise that Edward doesn't approve of them spending hours-upon-hours in front of a TV screen, so, like it always has been, we kinda break the rules a little bit when he's away...

"Good morning, Marco..." Nothing. No response came from my dead-to-the-world son. As my eyes adjusted to the contrast in light I could just make out his tall frame star-fished over the double bed. Marco and Finley had both inherited their dad's height and build, and towered over me at a scary 6'3". Ellie, like her twin, was also taller than me at 5'10"... and then you had Coop; the oldest, but still the smallest. He had stopped growing when he was about seventeen, but for him to even reach 5'8" was impressive for that little guy.

I gave up on trying to wake the dead and moved onto Finley's room, but that task seemed to be just as impossible. For the next two hours I sorted out the house; cleaned, washed, ironed, and I was about to shop for the ingredients for that evenings dinner, when someone was heard coming in through the front door.

Ed, if this is your idea of a surprise, I will not be happy. Momma ain't ready yet.

"Mom?"

I dropped my head and sighed in relief, thank God. "I'm in here!"

Ellie found me in the kitchen, her hands were full with plastic bags. She dropped each bag onto the kitchen table and started to unpack the groceries inside. "I hope you haven't started dinner? I thought I could make it - it's not every day your old man turns fifty."

Yep, the next day was Edward's fiftieth birthday, and I wasn't too far behind him. We were officially getting old. There was no fighting it anymore. He didn't realize I had planned this birthday get-together, so the kids had all been warned not to breathe a word of it to him.

"You don't have to; it's your day off." I inspected all the food she had brought - meat of some sort, a selection of fruits and vegetables, spices, and a mixture of cream and cheeses. She must have spent a small fortune on all of that stuff.

"But this is my job, Momma; it's what I know best." Before she received my response, Ellie had taken out her knife pocket and unfolded the wallet to reveal eight separate knives all different shapes, sizes and thickness, and a sharpening steel which she used instantly. It used to scare the living shit out of us when we saw our baby girl handle knives that cut through bone like butter, but after a few years we got over it. However, when it came to that steel, I'm terrified. She slid the blade of the knife from side to side so quickly it was all a blur; the sound of slicing steel on steel was all I heard, and the only thing I could think of was that with one false move, she could have sliced her hand in half. I didn't take a breath until she was happy that the knife was plenty sharp.

Ellie had always shown interest in the kitchen from a young age, so it was no surprise that at age 17 she already had herself a place in culinary school, and now, at age 21, she is the sous chef in a top nearby restaurant with plans to become head chef with a little more training. Nobody could believe she was at that level so quickly, but she took to it like a duck to water. Edward and I could not have been more proud of her. She moved out the family home last year and into an apartment with her long-term boyfriend, Harrison.

"So what are we having then, Nigella?" I relaxed back, with one less job to worry about. Nothing better then having your very own chef in the house.

"I'm thinking a herb crusted rack of lamb with dauphinoise potatoes, vegetables and red wine jus." Her long, auburn hair was tied back into a pony tail and an apron was tied around her middle; a tea towel hung from the string with another flopped over her shoulder. "This is Daddy's favorite, right?"

"He'd eat anything you make, Ellie - we all will."

"I know," she said, collecting a selection of roasting tins, "but he'd pick lamb over anything, I'm sure."

The boys finally decided to grace us with their presence a little after midday. By that time I had the house clean and presents organized, Ellie had been working away in the kitchen, preparing a herb mix for the lamb. Edward rang to say that he had been delayed, which gave me an extra half an hour.

"Marc," Ellie looked up from the vegetable prep to glance at her twin, "are you still looking for a job, because my place is looking for a kitchen porter if you'd be interested? The pay is pretty decent."

"Mmm... yeah, maybe." We all knew from that answer that Marco was not interested whatsoever.

"You need to get something, Marc; you can't live under Mom and Dad's roof for the rest of your life."

"I won't! I'm undecided at the moment, that is all." That was how the Twins were complete polar opposites - Ellie has always known what she wanted to do and made sure she did everything to accomplish it, however Marco didn't know, he has always been interested in cars and motors, but whenever Edward or I helped him towards that he shut it down and made the same excuse.

"Don't worry, El'," Finley came to join us in the kitchen and leaned on the counter beside me, "Marco will get off his ass once I've gone and he realizes how much he hates being an only child."

"Excuse me?" I laughed lightly and swatted my son's upper arm, "your Dad and I aren't that bad to live with."

"Really, Ma?"

I laughed again, only so to hide my emotion. My baby boy was leaving for UCLA next month to study medicine, following his Grandfather's footsteps. I thought it was hard when Cooper left for college, being the first one to go and all, but he stayed in Seattle; none of our kids had gone as far away as California and it didn't sit well with me.

0-0

"I'm so glad you are home," I mumbled against his chest, Edward's arms were wrapped tight around me with his head bent next to mine.

Bonnie was felt jumping up to greet him, I could tell from the sound of her panting that she was very excited. "It's been a long two weeks," he placed a warming kiss upon my lips once, twice, and then stood up straight still with me locked in his hold. "I love you, and I love you too, Bon."

"I love you too. Now, there's someone here to see you... they are in the kitchen."

Edward's brows creased together in a frown, "that's not your cooking I can smell?" He all but ran into the kitchen, with my hand in his. Three out of our four children were standing at the table, waiting on their father's arrival. "Ellie-Belle!" Since the day she was born, she had had Edward wrapped around her little finger, and he obeyed her every command.

"Happy birthday, Daddy!" Nothing made my heart beat more than the sight of my husband interacting with our babies in such a loving gesture. The feeling was just as fierce when I saw them interacting with their own.

"Marco, Fin," he slapped their shoulders in turn, "I hope you looked after your mom when I was away?"

"Of course we have, Pa." Finley answered proudly, accepting Edward's manly hug. "It's good to have you back."

"Yeah, Dad," Marco broke in, "it's not the same without your moody ass around here."

"Moody ass? Wow, you better tame it on those insults there, Marc." We all cracked up laughing as the two also shared their I'm-far-too-tough-to-show-any-emotion kind of hug. "And what about your brother? Is Coop coming too?"

Now, because Ellie had showed up earlier than expected and there was no chance in hiding that, we all discussed to act like Coop wasn't coming. Edward would be bummed, but he'd accept a family dinner for his birthday nonetheless, and it would just make it that bit better when he showed up suddenly.

"Nah, afraid not, Dad," Fin sighed, "he said something about how Leo was sick and they had to stay and keep an eye on him."

I had to bite back my smile and stop myself from giving Fin a pat on the back - that excuse was perfect, and something Cooper would genuinely do. "He can't join us on my birthday because his snake is sick...?"

"You know what Cooper is like, Daddy," Ellie wiped her hands on the towel at her waist, "he always puts the animals first - remember his wedding day?!"

Oh Christ, Coop's wedding day. The day before the ceremony one of his many terrifying spiders had laid their egg sac and apparently it was a process that Coop had to keep a close eye on and suggested postponing the wedding... to watch his spider shit out a yellow balloon, filled with more terrifying creatures. His poor wife, I honestly don't know how she stayed married to him for the past six years.

"In his defense, I can understand - those reptiles are his job." Said Edward, to help ease the situation. Coop met his wife, Carla, in their biology class in college. Both shared the same interest in reptiles, arachnids and other exotic animals, and although he graduated with a B.A. in Italian Linguistics, they made a job out of traveling around the area with their little family, teaching others about their pets. They visit schools, state fairs, zoos, and anything else people need them for. When they aren't traveling, Coop works from home as a translator for Italian manuscripts for college courses.

With a pat to Edward's arm, I said; "they'll try and come over tomorrow, if Leo is better," then ended the conversation so we couldn't get too caught up in the lie. Instead we spoke about Edward's trip to Canada and how his organization assisted in the nesting of leatherback sea turtles. He only goes on one trip abroad a year - it could be any destination in the world and he'd be away anywhere from one week to two months. Apart from that, he goes on "in-land" trips - like the one to Canada.

I, on the other hand, recently left my job at the local sports center. I had taken on all the hours I could when Coop's hospital bills were sky high and we had a family of six to provide for, but as things got easier and Coop no longer needed the amount of treatment like he used to, we could afford for me to drop some of the hours and spend more time at home. And I have never looked back.

0-0

Six o'clock arrived and Carla had recently sent me a text message to say they were on their way. It was clear that Edward was bummed and perhaps even a little angry that Coop would have rather looked after his snake than visit his father, and I so desperately wanted to spill the beans, but his face when the door opened was priceless.

"Padre!" Coop had his arms raised to the air with a face full of excitement, "surprise!"

I think I spotted the shine of a tear when Edward pulled our oldest in for a hug, I definitely started feeling emotional anyway. Coop and Carla had been traveling before he left for Canada and so it had been almost two months since they last saw one another and as much as I know he loves the kids with everything he is, he and Coop will always have the bond that no-one will understand.

"How you doing, Bud? How's the health?" Edward tapped our son's chest.

"Good as new, Padre; nothing to worry about here."

"Well..." Carla edged her way past and rested one hand on her husband's shoulder, "apart from when we were in Chicago..." Edward and I shared the same worried glance, which Carla must have caught seeing as she continued to explain her story. "When we visited your mom? You had to chill for the rest of the day because you were in pain?"

"Oh that was nothing! We had had a long day."

Two years into college, Coop received the devastating news from us that Flash, our first dog and his best friend, had passed away. Flash had always been more than just a dog, he was the reason Coop is still here today. Edward and I could take a breath when Flash went to school with Coop because we knew he would catch any attacks before they happened. But now Coop has to judge his own instincts by himself and that scares us every single day. We all (including his siblings and his wife) want him to get another dog, trained the way Flash was, but Coop was stubborn and 'nobody could do the job the way Flash did'. They bought a puppy last year, a Boxer named Jude, so at least he is accepting new dogs in his life, which is a step in the right direction.

"Well you keep a good eye on that," I said in a no nonsense manner, then turned to Carla so I could change the subject to something much lighter and happier. "Now, where is my baby?"

"He's been excited all day, Bella."

From the front yard appeared my baby boy - my three year old grandson, Oscar. He had bright blonde hair that curled around his ears and deep blue eyes. He was the spitting image of his mother and father.

"Nonna!" They had been teaching him Italian too, just to make this boy cuter. "Look what I has, Nonna!" Oscar opened up his tiny hand to reveal a small snail in his palm, the shell was swirled with yellow and brown.

"That is beautiful, Oscar. Does he have a name?"

"No. He just snail." Edward then crouched beside me to greet his grandson. "Nonno, I found snail!"

"I see that," Edward beamed, "did you know that the snail is part of the molluscan class, Gastropoda, because of this coiled shell..."

"Daddy." Ellie broke in, "Oscar doesn't need to know about the literal term for a snail."

Edward and I stood so that we were part of the circle again. Marco and Finley had joined us, "yeah Dad, enough of your science shit. And this dude is three, who knows the scientific term at that age?"

"Cooper did."

Finley snorted along with his brother, "that's 'cause Cooper is weird."

The brothers argued along with their father, Ellie took her nephew by the hand (the one that didn't hold a snail) and walked him away to play a game, and I hung back with Carla. She was a lot like me in the no nonsense approach and it was clear who wore the pants in their relationship. When they first started dating, I wasn't too sure what I thought - Carla has a more 'alternative' look, with bleached hair and facial piercings, something I never imagined Cooper to fall for - but she fell right into the family. She was the older sister that Ellie never had, and for that, I was grateful.

0-0

That night, Edward and I laid side by side in bed with his arm behind my neck, "did you enjoy your birthday meal?" I asked.

He moved his arm from behind me so to turn onto his side, "it was the best birthday ever, and the day hasn't even begun."

I peered at the digital clock to my right, the time read 11:53, "give it seven more minutes," I grinned and leaned across to meet him in a delicate kiss, "just think, you'll be half way to one hundred," I mumbled whilst brushing the hair from his forehead, "soon this'll all be grey... we better get your dentures and walking stick looked out."

"Oh, and you'll be like a vampire and stay this age forever?" I recognized the joke and teasing in his voice and in the smile on his face. "I picked the short straw, is that what you're saying?"

"Exactly," I smirked, brushing my own hair with my fingers, "there's going to be no grey in these locks."

Edward removed my hand to replace it with his own, with a soft kiss to my forehead he whispered "that reminds me," then placed another, but this time on the tip of my nose, "why is this bed covered in Bonnie's hair?"

Oops. Busted.

0-0

A/N: I will be posting a picture on my Facebook group, RosieRathbone FanFiction, should you be interested in seeing what the kids look like now.

Thank you for reading and please let me know what you thought.